SOME PHOTOS FROM THE WEB....

Here are some photos we found on the internet when we typed in 'Lejac' using Google 'images'.

WORKING OUT....

Ian Scott, one of the supervisors, and the boys work out in Rec Room. Fitness was an important part of life for the boys and Staff at the school. In the late 1960s they used to clear out the dining room evenings and all the senior boys and girls would work out doing calisthenics to keep fit.

A HOCKEY GAME IN REC ROOM...

Some of the boys enjoy a game of hockey in Rec Room. On the wall (bottom photo) behind the boys someone has written down something. Wonder what it says.

FIRE DRILLS

Here is a photo with supervisor Ian Scott and some of the boys in Rec Room. That is the door to the washroom and the stairs leading to the fire escape behind Ian. That is the door I mentioned that we were never allowed to use except in emergencies. In all the 8 years I spent at Lejac we never ever once had a fire.

Lejac Indian Residential School held fire drills for all its students in the event of a fire. We practiced evacuating from our dorm and also from our classroom. If the fire alarm went off while in class, we immediately stopped what we were doing and everyone stood up next to their desk, then the teacher pointed out which student was to leave first and all the students would follow the person at the front and leave in an orderly manner in single file out the fire escape door at the back of the class. There were a couple times during the year when the fire alarm went off without any notice, and we all evacuated the entire school.

In one particular incident involving the junior boys, all students evacuated all the dorms in the middle of the night. The fire alarm went off while everyone in the entire school was asleep. And no one knew if it was a 'drill' or a 'real fire'. So all the dorms evacuated...as practiced. And when the junior dorm supervisor counted all his boys he came up one short.

He was missing one boy!!

So he ran up the stairs to the junior dorm and found the boy still sleeping under the fire alarm which was still ringing!!

REC ROOM?

I think this might be in Rec Room and the door into the washroom. and the steps to the right which we were never allowed to use except for emergencies (an emergency escape door from Rec Room outside).

Verne, that picture you have labeled the rec room was actually my bed room at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the dorms. The girl coming to the door is my sister who nursed in Vanderhoof for two years. Jim

MORRIS JOSEPH

Another photo of Morris, this one in Rec Room. The boys are horsing around arm-wrestling as part of their free time. If all three dorms were in the Rec Room all at once there would be up to 90 boys altogether. We were always inventing ways to keep ourselves busy to while away the time.

SOME OF THE BOYS

That is Morris Joseph of Tachie at the front and Carl Chingee standing behind him. The boys are down at the lake below the school. this photo is from June 1963.

FORT ST. JOHN TRIP CONT'D

A rare moment. Photos of the boys in uniform marching to the beat of their drums and the blare of their music in a small town in northern British Columbia. As the crowd watches from the sidelines the Lejac Band performs to their music such as 'Green Beret' and 'Red Wings' which they have practiced and perfected. At this point in time (ca. 1966) the boys are 375 miles from home.

In 1966 in Canada all road signs were in miles. Today all the signs are in kilometers. So 375 miles is more like about 500 kilometers.

FORT ST. JOHN TRIP

THIS PHOTO

I saw this photo quite some time ago at the Lejac group on Facebook and my first reaction was one of the boys in the photo looked a lot like my brother when he was maybe 7 years old. If that was the case then this picture would be from about 1960 but upon closer examination I realized these kids don't dress like we did in the early or mid 1960s at Lejac Indian Residential School. So I made that comment as did someone else on the Facebook group then the Chief from Nadleh First Nation near Fraser Lake said it was actually a photo from a residential school in the Yukon and the teacher's name was likely Mrs. Colbourn. Thank God for social media.

...in front of the Taylor Hotel

Here are a couple photos of the Lejac boys performing in front of the Taylor Hotel at Taylor, BC in northern British Columbia. That hotel is still there today. this photo ca. 1966

Two More photos under Taylor Bridge

A COUPLE PHOTOS FROM TAYLOR....

Here are a couple of photos when the boys traveled to Taylor, BC and Fort St. John in northern British Columbia. photo ca. 1966.

Lejac Band...

This photo is from around 1966 of the boys in the Lejac Band posing for a photo then on the bus while 'on tour'. That is band master Brother McCormick on the far right in the top photo.

Newspaper article Dec. 24, 1964

Thank you Jim for your pictures and comment...

Verne,

You are doing a great job with all the old pictures.

The latest post at the banquet, were taken on our

trip to Fort St. John, BC one of our first major trips

out of our area, The boys were treated wonderfully

by the people of Fort St. John who billeted them.

They were a huge hit. Fun days. Jim

On Tour...

Going on Tour was always SO EXCITING!! Here the boys in the marching band are obviously at a banquet while on tour. A banquet for any student at residential school was always a special treat. When on Tour we got to see many things from the outside world which we never saw back home on our reserves. Tours were to die for for us boys. this photo ca. 1964

Practice at the 'Old rink'....

Usually beginning late April, the boys would go outside and begin practicing their formations once the snow all melted. Here they are at the 'old rink' and in full uniform which is unusual. We seldom practiced in full uniform because of the chances of getting our uniforms dirty. You wore your uniform only at the actual performance, for instance at the Prince George May Day Parade. These are the early days of the Lejac Boys Band.

ON PARADE....

A few more photos of the boys on parade at the May Day celebrations at Prince George. Photos are from either 1963 or 1964.